June 2010 Current Events: Disasters & Science News

Here are the key events in Science and Disasters news for the month of June 2010.

Oil From BP Spill Spreading Farther Than Expected (June 8): Tests confirm that oil from BP's Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and the spill that followed is spreading throughout the ocean farther than experts initially expected. Toxic compounds that in a shallow-water spill would have normally evaporated have instead remained on the surface. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is still trying ot determine how the oil is going to affect ocean wildlife in the immediate and distant future. (June 16): BP announces that it will place $20 billion in an escrow fund to help pay damages for fishermen and other coastal residents who have seen a sharp decline in income following April's oil spill. (June 22): A federal judge in New Orleans blocks the six-month moratorium on deep underwater drilling that the Obama administration put in place after the BP oil spill. Judge Martin Feldman claimed that President Obama failed to justify the need of a blanket ban on drilling. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar follows the ruling by stating that the administration would submit a new moratorium that provides concrete reasoning in the coming days.

Flash Floods Kill 16 in Arkansas (June 11): At least 16 people are killed and dozens missing after flash floods unexpectedly drench campgrounds in Arkansas. Water from the Caddo and Little Missouri Rivers reportedly surged 20 feet. (June 12): Two more bodies are discovered among the debris in the Arkansas campgrounds following the horrific flooding, bringing the total dead to 18. President Obama pledges federal assistance as rescue workers continue to search for more missing people.